A First Year Seminar's impact on interest in computer science

Abstract:

While enrollments in computer science courses may be increasing overall, the recruitment and retention of women and minorities in computer science remains a pervasive problem. First Year Seminars at universities are relatively common, and though they take on a variety of formats, many are designed to help with the transition to college and to increase retention. For three years, a computer science faculty member taught a First Year Seminar, broadly about the Internet, though with limited technical details, surveying the students about their perceptions of computer science. The results, while not conclusive, may provide motivation for other computer science professors to teach a First Year Seminar related to technology.